This and That

LLM BRIEFS

It is not hallucinations, it is bullshit.

LLM Cheat Failure Follows Double Laziness
Professor Hides White Font in Midterm, Catches Students Using AI in the Stupidest Way Possible
First: so lazy as to use an LLM to write the paper. Second: so lazy as to not read the results before turning them in. Important lesson: all AI slop must be read at least once by a human being before being used.

Verbal version

If you are going to use AI to write your speech, read it out loud at least once

D-coded? Of Course It Is
Musk thinks Claude provides too many pro-Democrat answers (d-, get it?). Well, of course, as a Trump lickspittle,  Musk no doubt has his thumb on the scale at Grok. Whereas an engine that is merely ostensibly full of the world’s knowledge favors the Democratic Party. Are LLMs intelligent? No. Does the weight of the world’s knowledge favor Dems over Maga? Of course.
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Hallucinations Cost $300,000 each.
A Munich court ruled that when AI speaks on behalf of a company, it represents the company. You can’t say “the AI made it up.” It’s the company’s responsibility. Google’s AI Overviews accused two German publishers of running scams. No source said it. The AI invented it. “The algorithm did it” is officially dead as a legal defense. Details (and references) here
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IKEA replaced 8,500 support jobs with AI.
All 8,500 were retrained as remote design advisors. That human-led service became a $1.4B revenue line.
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Thinking Like An LLM
“The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.”
– Sydney Harris
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Committing Journalistic Malpractice
Comparing dollar expenses over time is journalistic malpractice unless inflation-adjusted (AlJazeera). Did the Manhattan Project cost $2 billion? WRONG! Inflated: $37 billion. The $1.6 trillion AI investment still tops it, just not by so much. If you’ve seen uninflated Manhattan Project numbers, please share them. Claude can’t find any: another LLM fail. I know they exist.
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Power To The Incorrect People
Massive hyperscale data centers—and the energy-intensive servers used for machine learning models—are the primary drivers leading to the fastest electricity demand growth in the U.S. since 2000. Exelon CEO Calvin Butler told the Financial Times the U.S. could face power blackouts as soon as 2027 due to the strain on the grid from growing electricity demand, and higher power bills are needed to fund new infrastructure.

JUST PLAIN BRIEFS

Best Journalism Movie Page Found Here
The best journalism page on the internet, written by… well, modesty forbids.
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Rudyard Kipling And Me
Do you like Kipling? I don’t know, I’ve never kippled. Clark Smith quotes Kipling’s Gentleman’s Wisdom: “A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition.” For 60 years, I’ve been saying, “You can’t be too thin, too rich, or have too many…” fill in the blank with something unrelated and silly.
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What is it with movie directors, rain and standup sex?
 The Hidden Meaning of Rain in Movies: When and Why Filmmakers Use It, and These are the reasons why people have sex standing up in movies. Rain and upright sex are common in entertainment (for technical reasons and storytelling reasons) and rare in real life—difficult and messy.

CBS: Continually Broadcasting Shit
Who didn’t see it coming? CBS hastens the end of linear television by serving as a conveyor belt for the demented raving of HWNBN. The word Bar (in mathematics) means infinitely repeating; in the annals of service to fascism, it is an nickname for CBS News destroyer Bari Weiss. I have attempted to develop a celebrity name for the thruple of Trump, Weiss and Ellison (CBS destroyer in chief). It’s no Bennifer, but how about Dovid Bar: Donald and David Forever.
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Washington: Free Speech Or Sheep To The Slaughter…
In Washington’s 1783 Newburgh Address, he warned that if Americans were punished for free speech, “reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent, we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.” Precisely his words. In context? Here’s the whole speech, also available in his own handwriting. Not an AI fever dream or a Facebook hallucination.
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Demand Human Customer Service
I am attempting to start a campaign to demand humans. Please join me.
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He Suffers From 50-years-ago Fever
I recently mentioned learning about meditation 50 years ago this summer. Turns out I used almost exactly the same lead on an item about the summer of 1971. If that self-plagiarism?[1] June also marked the 50^th anniversary of my review of the world’s most expensive restaurant, which never ran.
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Singer/Songwriter Heads For Brilliant Career
Grace Leer is an up-and-coming singer and song writer, originally from my part of California. I took some lyric-writing lessons from her teacher. Her work is brilliant; listen now so you can say you heard her before she was famous. Her song My Mind’s Made Up is a perfect description of a previous relationship of mine. It sent chills up my spine. Would but that my music would do that to someone some day.
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You Need Borowitz
If you are not subscribing to the Borowitz Report, you should be. Recent fun with Acronyms (the Ph.D version of TACO): CORONA WITH LIME — Come On, Republicans! Obtain Nuts Already! Wallowing In Trump’s Horrendous Leadership Is Manifestly Evil!

[1] (which I understand is a thing)

YOU MUST READ THIS
I won a Pulitzer for explaining the Great Depression. The AI spending boom terrifies me. A precis: In 1873 capital flooded into railroads, a transformative new infrastructure technology, at a scale comparable to 2%–3% of GDP. That research is why, when Liaquat Ahamed, (Pulitzer-winning author of Lords of Finance and 1873) looks at the AI buildout today, he is genuinely frightened. AI investment is presently at 1% of GDP. Be afraid, be very afraid. The railroad bubble caused several depressions at the end of the 19th century.
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One Thing AI Can Do: Destroy Your Company
Why is Meta destroying its engineering organization? Leadership at the social media giant has been on an AI-fueled rampage through its engineering org.
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AI Done Right
IKEA replaced 8,500 support jobs with AI. They didn’t fire anyone. All 8,500 were retrained as remote design advisors.

Remote AI Briefs
I had so many AI briefs… and  I didn’t want to make PSACOT all AI, all the time, so I moved a mess of briefs, and include a summary of the subjects to whet your appetite… if you have any. More NotAI/LLM briefs

Including these items

Coming Attractions
I am working on a manifesto explaining why I am not against AI. Here is a sneak preview: “Large Language Models are not artificial intelligence. I agree LLMS are a tool. I love tools. A chainsaw is a tool. I would not want to give one to my child. I would not wish to use one to make my hiring decisions, cut up my scratch paper or trim my roses. You may pound nails with a screwdriver as much as you like. I prefer to use my tools appropriately.”
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Tenant Violates Lease
We, the people, own a 234-year-old fixer-upper in Washington. The exterior hasn’t been renovated in 83 years. It is a “grace and favour house” (rent-free) on a four year lease, with one renewal. The lease requires approval by the owners and the planning commission for work on the structure. Violation of these requirements leaves the resident subject to immediate eviction.
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Quote Offers Advice
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
—Winston Churchill
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The Problems With America
America’s two biggest problems are apathy and indifference. But I don’t know, and I don’t care.

THIS WILL KEEP YOU AWAKE TONIGHT
The World’s Leading Deepfake Expert No Longer Trusts His Own Eyes
In the age of A.I., Hany Farid is struggling to prove what’s real before the internet decides for itself. A tip of the PSACOT hat to Joe Kashi, who unlocked it for us.

CBS Publicly Self-Destructs

Here’s a fun-pak of links to my recent political work
• The Donald Trump Hour
• Arc Of History Snares Ellison/CBS As Justice Arrives—Maybe
• An Open Letter To The People “Running” Paramount/Skydance (More Like Ruining/Controlled Flight Into Terrain)[Controlled Flight into terrain is private pilot talk for “Good Weather, pilot at the controls, flew plane into the ground.” Not widely known, but self-obvious]
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19th Century Vocabulary Inflicts Obscurity
Does anyone have the whim-whams any more? The Heebie-Jeebies? If not, why not? What do the cool cats say now if something makes them uncomfortable? Beat-down? Dumbledore? So 2002?
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Dating Site Defined?
Is a dating site a meat and greet?
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Quotes Impress Readers
It’s been a while since I plugged my quotes page. In keeping with this week’s theme, there is wry humor and wit therein. See if you can find it.
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Radio Show Declared Humor-Adjacent
I thought it was funny when I wrote/performed The New Eugene Oregon Show 53 years ago. See if you agree. FYI, I asked Phil Proctor about all the material I plagiarized from the Firesign Theater. His response: “We don’t use the ‘P’ word. We call it paying homage to those who came before.”

The New Eugene Oregon Show

Can’t … Resist… One… AI… Item
The antivirus vendor Malwarebytes reports that Meta’s AI support bot happily handed Instagram accounts to hackers. Hey, if you want to destroy the digital lives of your customers, why not follow Meta’s lead and lay off all your customer support human beings? Who cares? They’re just your customers. The only cost will be goodwill, until you get your ass sued off.

Oliva Pens Ultimate Stewart “Computer Chronicles” Cheifet Biography
The indomitable S.M. Oliva, he of Computer Chronicles Revisited fame, has penned a fascinating, detailed and well-written tribute to Chronicles founder and host Stewart Cheifet. There will be no need for any other summary of the man’s life and career. Also, check out the Internet Archive’s complete library of Chronicles programs.
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I Laughed, I Cried, Then I Went To See The Movie
But seriously, Tuner is a well-crafted film that sprinkles in some laughter amid the astounding performance of newcomers. It’s a little long at two hours, so 4.5 stars out of 5. SPOILER ALERT If you want to be surprised, skip the rest of this item. The film includes Boomer Bait, Dustin Hoffman. If you didn’t know he was in the film, you, like me, would be distracted for a few scenes until his distinctive voice gave you a clue. This is part of a long tradition of “disguise him so everyone won’t immediately clock him as a famous star.” Clever script, moving plot. The Eastern European Antidefamation League has its work cut out for it, as vague Eastern European bad guys replace Russians, whose reign was much shorter than the 30 years Nazis filled the role after WWII.
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AI Ain’t Nothin Like A Man
AI actress Tilly Norwood was profiled this week by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, a feature writer for the New York Times Magazine. Read it. Akner concluded, “There is nothing like people.” Or as John Henry said, “AI Ain’t Nothing Like A Man.” Listen to it.
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Epic Art Fail
If you, like me, remember the Robert Heinlein story The Roads Must Roll, you’ll be fascinated by Daniel Dern’s long but riveting dive into the question of why no one has ever come up with a good illustration for The Roads Must Roll, which delineates many bad ones.
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1971 Radio Humor Flogged Off To New Audience
The Last Year Of The Golden Age Of Radio: 1971
Also as a podcast
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Pope Leo on AI
Pope Leo Warns of Risks From A.I. in 42,300-Word Encyclical
The Times said: “The document marks a powerful foray by the leader of the Roman Catholic Church into the debate about the misuse or overuse of artificial intelligence.” That is, dangerous if not controlled, may trash humanity. Leo also apologized for the Church’s role in justifying slavery.
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Fine Photography Contemplates NotAI/LLM
My friend Joe Kashi, attorney, MIT classmate and fine art photographer, has been thinking about AI and Photography. Also, HEY TRUMPBOTS! I don’t believe AI can do everything. Come and arrest me for daring to criticize God’s gift to technology.

Aids Ride Anniversary 29
In June, 1997, I rode in California AIDS Ride 4, a 570-mile bike ride from SF to LA to raise money for AIDS prevention and research. I completed every mile: a summary, and an achingly detailed journal
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Damn Shame
My brother Steve died six years ago last week, on May 21, 2020.
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LLM/Not AI: The Part They Accidentally Said Out Loud
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AI Can Weaponize patches in 30 minutes.
LLM-assisted bug-hunting ushers in a new cyberworld order (Tom’s Hardware by By Bruno Ferreira)
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Frightening AI corruption
 “He drives a bus so his favorite color is yellow.”
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LLM Produces Great Literature
According to Popular Science, in 2024, ChatGPT produced this: “Would it glad your clickies to grasp-turn-tooth over a mind-ocean jello type? Or submarine-else que quesieras que dove in-toe? Please, share with there-forth combo desire!”

Time Travel Films Ranked
A tip of the PSACOT hat to Robert Malchman for this from a British newspaper The Guardian: It’s already yesterday again: the 20 best time-loop movies – ranked! The list has the correct No. 1 (Groundhog Day) but can’t be comprehensive because of the ubiquity of the trope.
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Spotting AI A table of unknown providence claims use of the phrase “not just a ***,  it’s a ***” has skyrocketed. Could be an LLM tell, but as soon as I post this (and an LLM steals it), the engines will tell each other not to use it… faster than they told each other about the EM dash and the car wash conundrum. Just another way of lying: “No, I’m not AI.” That’s true of course; they’re just LLMs.

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World’s Best AI Detector Protocol

That would be The Schindler Protocol

Alexei “Whoever Could He Be Talking About” Navalny
 Quotes Of The Week (clarifications are in [])We now live in a country … where each week there are new trials, where people are [indicted]  because they [worked for a different president] . —
I’m on the very blackest part of the black list.
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Humor Evolves
Staying the same: “Do you like kipling?” I don’t know, I’ve never kippled.”
Changing with the times: “Do you smoke after sex?” Classic answer:  “I don’t know; I never looked.”  New answer:  “Not since I started using lube.” This item is rated TVM for smoking and sexual references.
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Why Yes, Inspired
Stronger verbs. Alliteration. Reading a book about better writing inspires those, and other, improved habits.  Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences, Anne Lemott and her significant other, Neal Allen. Look for more of this in PSACOT
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A Humble ‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Ends His Run
(Suggested by a long time reader). I lost on Jeopardy and on three other game shows, the exception being Scrabble. My five-appearance game show journey.